Interior photos of the Maybeck house at 720 Castenada are finally up, yay! My god, what a beautiful home. These photos are a little small, so check out the listing here.
Socketsite did a little more research than the listing agent and found some great history on the place. Read Too Beautiful To Describe (Except By The Architect): 270 Castenada for the architect's full description. (They are referencing the listing agent's marketing copy that reads: "Too beautiful to describe."--made me laugh!)
I looked at 1447 Funston Ave for a client because it was a great house and only $729,000. But, so did a BUNCH of other people. On tour I asked the agent, Derek Chin, why the offer date was so early in the process, only 6 days after it was listed.
Apparently they had already received two requests for preemptive offers and wanted to have at least one open house weekend and Broker's Tour. So, offers were taken the following Wednesday. He also told me that 30 disclosure packets went out and 6 people expressed interest in making an offer.
At that point I knew it would go over asking, way over, so my clients were out the game. I emailed Derek the next day to get the scoop:
Hi Nikki:
22 offers, and it went way higher than I thought it would.
Thanks, and good luck!
Derek
Wow! And I was thinking it would be in the low 800s. I think it might just go to the high 800s. This is one to watch for sure.
I know I should be more aware of these things, but I just heard about Anshe Chung and her lucrative real estate deals on Second Life. Second Life is a virtual world that allows users to trade real dollars for goods and services, including real estate.
But, Anshe is treating this like a real business with her own real estate web site that is a lot better looking than a lot of San Francisco real estate agent sites in the real world. In 2004, Philip Rosedale, the founder and CEO of Linden Lab, which runs Second Life, estimated that she's brought in around $150,000--and no, that is not a typo and yes we're talking real money.
Basically, she buys undeveloped land through an auction, then turns it into a beautiful virtual world for users to buy parcels (or rent) to live on. There are zoning restrictions such as roof height limits and in some cases commercial use territories. Other users can buy land and build an apartment building, then rent out the space to even more users. Hotels can purchase the land to showcase their own virtual resort. I heard that W Hotel is participating.
The whole thing has just blown my mind. I started looking around and found loads of these real estate agents out there, but Chungs Dreamland communities are highly desired. She uses resident feedback to create worlds that people really want, such as Dreamland Pride--a gay and lesbian residential community, Gothica and Furries.
Read more about it in this Business Week article from 4/22/06.
Man, do I want this concept to come to San Francisco: The Spadominium! Many of the new condo high-rises in San Francisco offer services to help you work more at home...wireless access by the pool, FedEx drop off through the concierge, meeting rooms for business opportunities,etc. Why not relax at home as if you were on vacation! Specifically on a SPA vacation. That's right, those kids in NYC have it right again! No more ridiculous indoor movie theaters and useless party rooms, but massage rooms, facials, meditation classes, in-condo yoga sessions, juice bars, hot saunas, cucumber water, oh my god I could keep going.
The New York Times Home & Garden section goes into detail about the new line of condominiums from Marival, a Tucson-based destination spa turned developer, in Living in Zen:The Spa Life 24/7.
"Beginning in early 2008 those who choose to relocate to 515 East 72nd Street will be able to experience Miraval’s spa, fitness, nutrition and general wellness programming from the comfort of their own high-rise condominium homes. The project will be known as Miraval Living; the company is billing it as New York City’s first “inspired living residence” and the first of what John Vanderslice, the chief executive, said would be 10 to 15 similar developments in the next decade in cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami and Washington."
I know my too-cool-for-school friends are rolling their eyes at the idea of yet another high-rise playhouse for the rich, but this is a brilliant concept. I'm stressed here, I don't need more ways to work at home...I need body wraps and on-site nutritionists! Bring it on...early retirement living, I love it.
I was just listening to CBC's As it Happens show on NPR and had to blog about it. A real estate company in Southern California hired actor Jaason Simmons, best known for playing life-guard Logan Fowler on the television series Baywatch to act out real life scenes of "domestic bliss" in one of their model homes. He and his "wife and kids" act out a birthday party. Whereby "Mom" is in bed and "Dad and the kids" are preparing her birthday breakfast with real muffins and coffee.
The open house theater lasts most of the day with a few breaks, but what cracked me up, other than the obvious, was that visitors would come in and talk to the family--ask Jaason questions not as an actor, but as a real Dad--or just sit down on the couch and hang out with the model family.
The real estate firm, Centex Home Property, got loads of response about it already. I have a new listing on Telegraph Hill coming up soon...auditions at my house at 8:00, bare breasted men who worked on Bay Watch need only apply!
